Downshifting into first=grind
 

Hey guys,
I've had many problems with the clutch on my car...some my fault and some the person who owned it before me.

Recently I've noticed that I cannot downshift into first gear above 10MPH, but anything 10 or under it's fine.
When I do try to shift above 10, it grinds big time.

Does this happen to anyone else? Or do I have another problem with my car :(

Thanks guys,
Sean

I can't get into first above 10 mph either. I don't bother trying to force it. I replaced the transmission fluid with Royal Purple hoping to fix it but it hasn't changed. The shifter moves more freely now, but has all the same clunks in the same places it had before. I've never beat on it, my car only has 4k miles right now.

whenever i'm rolling to a stop, i'm able to put it back into 1st gear but u have to feather the clutch on its way up or else the car will jerk hard.. However, i never got any sort of grind but there is some resistence though.. I dont think the grind is normal..

resistance = normal

grind = $$$

i never put it into first above 5mph. just use second. its easier

yeah its normal, there's something about it in the manual, should be some kind of lockout above 10 or 12

^ exactly.

http://rotaryinsider.com/rx8-52.html

It already been said, but rarely would you ever have the need to downshift into first......much less above 10-12 mph.

Do you guys find 2nd gear bogs down pretty easily? I sometimes find myself in the position where I can't get into 1st, yet I feel like I have to slip the clutch forever to get moving again in 2nd. It makes parking lots interesting sometimes. When I had my 2.0L Mazda3 I could almost drag 2nd down to a stop without lugging. Yet the RX-8 bucks and jerks at the same speeds. If this is par for the course I think I'll be teaching myself to double-clutch into 1st.

If 8mph or higher just use 2nd. It seems like ~8mph is the slowest the car wants to go in 2nd, and it doesn't seem to lug it much.

When I downshift into 1st (1) I try to go as slow as possible, never above 7-8mph, and (2) I always blip the throttle before engaging 1st (double-clutching helps a little but I have not found it to be necessary always), oh and (3) be very gentle when engaging the gears. Using these techniques I've never grinded, although when going say 5-7mph there is definitely a little resistance.

Try to adjust your timing/approach so that either you don't need 1st at all, or that you can come to a near stop before going into 1st.

there's no lockout, I downshift into 1st around 30+ mph all the time braking into slow autox turns that exit around 20mph or so :dunno:

downshift into 1st gear 4 or 5 times on this (crappy) course:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IJHcj4kpueA

that's the guy from the RX7Store, he's wrong:

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1183057937

i'm having this same problem, and glad i found this thread. it just started this weekend, right after my 30K mile check, which was fine.
i'm real dumb, so can someone explain "double clutching"??? :(

Never try and muscle the shifter into gear unless you want to bend your shift forks and grind your synchros. If it has trouble going into gear, let the car roll a little bit in neutral, rev up a bit and shift gently.

I rarely dip into a first gear downshift on the street. But I often do during autocrossing, ex; heel-toe into a hair pin.

The grinding you're getting is the protest from the synchros. Be sure to blip the throttle more agressively during the downshift.

Oh and you can forget about double clutching. The synchros in modern day cars kinda eliminates the need for double clutching. The idea of double clutching is to always select netural before a downshift, blip the throttle, then clutch in, then select the lower gear. This is meant to either save your synchros or to be used on trannys that don't have synchros. When upshifting you clutch in to select neutral, this slows the countershaft which then allows the upshift to pop in smoother when you clutch in for the next higher gear.

head shoulders... heel & toe, heel & toe...
 

+1... it's all synchro reliant. Blip the throttle while braking.. or if stuck in traffic between 1st & 2nd... just blip the throttle while applying light pressure.. it will speed up the synchro's.


You now have a good reason to practice the 'heel-toe' downshift. :) there's a pretty funny episode in initial D's 1st Stage... can't find the clip on youtube. :(

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwssssssssssssss!!!!!!!! !

lol... whats so silly is you can now double clutch on the evo-10 :D: ... and FF4 is starting production this month..... I wonder if Mazda will be smart enough to drop whatever rx-7/8/9 design 16x into the movie.... i would if 'i were a Market Manager for the MNAO'.

Hint hint...

Sounds like your syncros are going out, or you're forcing it into gear.

I don't shift into first above 10 mph without double clutching (heck, I hardly do it ever) because otherwise the syncros just won't engage, and I don't like the idea of grinding the syncros to dust to get into first.

I also downshift into first on occasion above 10-12mph, usually ~15, without any problems aside from a jerk if I don't match revs. I've found that it grinds when moving the shifter to first above 31mph.

i find a lot of resistance going into first, even below 10mph. as a matter of fact, it wont go into first (i dont force it of course) above 5mph. at around 4mph, it will slide in.

as a rule of thumb, if i have any momentum whatsoever, i go to 2nd. not first.

Ok, I will.

I'll get an exter :beer05: for ya too!

"blip the throttle"??? "double clutch"?? HELP!!!! LINGO-DEPRIVED USER HERE!!! but i'm the one who did my search and found the thread without posting a new one...aren't you guys proud of me??? (sarcasm) :)

Blip the throttle: tap the gas to bring the revs up a little.

Double clutch: From whatever gear you're in, push in clutch and shift into neutral, take foot off clutch, then press clutch in again and shift to desired gear. Essentially shifting to neutral, and then your desired gear.

just rev match it and shift down smoothly no rush... or maybe ur clutch is wearing out for sure, normal wear and tear or maybe from abusive~ but remember you can exceed 10mph no problem but just rev match it.. no need for a double clutch thats just for trucks LOL.. these trannys arent even made for those abuse- good luck.